How I Met Your Mommy
by Miles Above My Head
Summary: A remembrance, told by Mal, of how he fell in love with Natara Williams.
1. Chapter 1: Cowardly

**Chapter One- Cowardly.**

"I'm going to kill one of you," said the murderer, "Who will it be? Choose now or I choose for you."

"Mal please, let me die. I could never live without you, knowing I let you choose to die. Please, let it be me," Natara begged him.

"No Natara!" he growled, "You think it'd be any easier for me?"

Then all of a sudden a bullet was flying into Natara's chest and she collapsed with a faint, "Ow!"

Mal lunged at the killer and scooped him up in his arms. "How dare you kill mommy!"

Little Sammy laughed and said, "I told you to choose and you didn't!"

Mal grabbed his Nerf gun and tossed it on the ground, where Natara came back to life and grabbed it instantly.

"Hey no fair!" squealed Sammy. "Mommy, you're dead!"

Mal sat the little two-year-old down and chucked, "Not if she catches you first!"

But the next bullet went into Mal's chest and he gasped his last words, "You'd dare kill your own husband?" Natara smiled, "Well honey, you did beg and say you couldn't live without me."

Mal ran to her and tackled her to the ground and Sammy climbed on top of the pile of bodies.

"Daddy, tell me how you and Mommy fell in love," he pleaded.

"Sammy you've heard that story a thousand times!" Natara sighed.

"I know, but it's so fun to hear! It's the best story of all time!"

"It's my favorite too," said Mal, leaning down to kiss his wife. "Okay Sammy, well it all started one day at the San Francisco Police Department precinct. You're mommy was looking as gorgeous as ever…"

"Shut up and tell the story, Mal."

"Well you were. Anyway, I was looking handsome as usual…"

"MAL!"

"Okay, okay…"

_As told by Mal Fallon to his son Sammy about Natara Williams-Fallon_

I'd known I'd fallen for her from the moment we solved our first case together. The Maskmaker Case. By that point, we were best friends, at least in my book. I trusted her more than any partner I'd ever had, even Uncle Ken. She was the prettiest woman I'd ever met; I knew every girl would've been jealous of her. She was smart, beautiful, funny, and caring. But that's not when I fell in love, oh no. I just knew I liked her.

Love has its ways of sneaking up on you. Unexpectedly. You'll never see it coming, and it'll only come when you least expect it. That's how it happened with Natara.

Sure, I knew she was beautiful. I knew I was falling for her more and more each day we were together. And we were partners; we were together every day, all day. And being best friends, sometimes we were together late at night as well, finishing work, getting food to eat, talking, relaxing. We were together nearly 24/7 and all I knew was I wanted it to stay that way forever.

I wanted to know she was mine. No one could ever take her from me.

And yet, I still denied it. I knew I liked her but nothing more. I wouldn't ever let myself fall in love with her. I refused. Love..well let's just say it's never worked out for anyone I've known in the past. Heartbreak? That was something I knew well.

On top of that, what would people think? We were partners; we worked together. It wasn't right.

And yet, I continued to fall harder and harder for her each day. I noticed and mentally memorized everything about her. From her smile, to her laugh, to the way she looked when she was frustrated, I knew it all.

"_So when did you fall in love with her daddy?" Sammy whines. "Tell that part!"_

"_I'm getting there Sammy."_

So one day when I realized it was getting out of hand, I tried to stop myself. I found other girls. Tried to occupy myself. Told myself it was for the best, letting her go. She could never love me back; our line of work, it was just too stressful.

"_But I did, and that's what your daddy didn't know," whispers Natara, staring at Mal. "He didn't know I was wondering the same things, memorizing everything about him, telling myself it was ridiculous. He didn't know."_

"_Why didn't you just ask daddy? You could've been together right then!" Sammy cried._

"_Oh Sammy, would you just go up to a girl and ask if she was in love with you?"_

Anyway, one day I realized it was hopeless. I couldn't ever stop thinking about the beautiful girl with the perfect brown hair and gorgeous smile. I couldn't get her laugh out of my head. I found myself telling jokes just so I could hear it over and over. I couldn't stop myself.

So I ran away.

Cowardly, I know. But at the time, I was desperate. So I left her. I resigned at the precinct and I left.

"_Where'd you go daddy?"_

I flew to Centerscore. I went and ran away to live with my sister.


	2. Chapter 2: The Love of My Life

**Chapter Two- The Love of My Life**

So, there I was. I ran away from my problems to my sister, of all people. And my niece was there too, of course. I didn't know what else to do at the time.

"_Little did I know, he had run away. And because of me, of all things!" Natara told her son._

"_Daddy, did you miss mommy? She seems sad at this part all the time."_

"_I missed your mommy very much." Natara smiled._

My sister begged me to go home. She was happy to see me, for sure, but she knew I was running from something. Little did either of us know, it was love. I hadn't even told her why I came; I just said I needed somewhere to stay. She graciously accepted me.

Meanwhile, your mommy went to work as usual, expecting to see me. When she didn't, she went and talked to Captain Yeong.

"_That's when you found out he left?" Sammy asks sadly._

"_Yep, that's when. I was devastated. Crushed. I blamed myself which, in a way, I was completely correct about. It was my fault." She takes Mal's hand. "He left me a note, gave it to the captain. That's all I had. A note. But I knew one thing. I had to find him."_

"_What did the note say, daddy?"_

I had left Natara a note. I gave it to the captain, knowing that's where she would find out about me leaving, resigning, and deserting her.

**Dear Natara,**

**I'm sure you've found out by now, if you have this note, that I've left. I resigned from the force and moved away for now. I just want you to know it's not your fault in any way. You were and are my best friend, and I'm never going to forget you, ever. I didn't run away because of that. I'm sorry, it's best this way. For you and for me. Please don't try to find me or call me or do something stupid. Please be careful out there. You're the best FBI agent and profiler I know.**

**Mal**

And that's all I left for her. I still hadn't told her my feelings. I was still afraid to, even though we technically weren't partners anymore. If I went back and told her, she'd beg me to stay and go back to the force. Then we'd be right back where we had started. If I told her in the note, she'd try to come find me. Which she did anyway, because I forgot that small insignificant little detail that she might just have fallen for me too. Probably because I never would've believe it myself, if I weren't married to her now.

"_How'd you find him mommy? If he went so far away.." Sammy asks._

"_Your father knows, we've been over this story many times. I'll let him tell it this time," Natara replies, nodding at Mal to continue._

Well as I was cowardly hiding away in Centerscore, Natara was busying herself trying to track me down. I'd forgotten she knew where I hid a spare key to my apartment, and she got it and went inside. She looked for clues, maps, in my internet history, everywhere. No trace of me. She was about ready to give up when she saw it.

A picture of me, my sister, and my little niece, sitting on a side table.

It was a theory. A break in the mystery. But she couldn't be sure unless she flew here and found out herself. And so she did.

She'd called me at least 40 times, contrary to what I'd said in the letter, but I didn't answer once. She'd left voicemails and texts as well. I had to stop listening to them, once I got to the fifth voicemail and she was crying and pleading.

_Natara slapped him._

"_What? It's true!" He laughed, "Anyway.."_

If I'd kept listening to the voicemails as she left them, I would've heard the fourteenth one she left.

"Mal, I found your key. I went into your apartment, and I think I know where you are. Please, please just stay there. Please I just have to talk to you. I'm coming."

And she did come. One day, my niece was at school and my sister was at work. It was two days after the voicemail had been left. There was a knock at the door, and there she was, standing there beautiful as ever.

I nearly fainted.

She wasn't supposed to find me. I hadn't left any clues as to where I'd be. I made sure of that. Doubly sure. But there she was. Standing on my sister's doorstep, looking up at me with her beautiful green eyes sparkling with tears.

"_Was that when you fell in love with her, daddy?" Sammy asked exasperated._

"_That very moment."_

I looked down at her pain, anger, and slight relief at finding me, and knew right then I'd made the worst choice of my life running away. She was mad of course. I hadn't even told her, just left a note with someone else.

"Why the hell would you leave me like that, Mal Fallon?" she said. "You are the most selfish, self-centered JERK on the PLANET!"

"Nat, I'm sorry. I just-"

"Don't call me that Mal! I just came to make sure you were okay, and didn't do something completely idiotic like usual!"

So there I was, she'd found me, I'd decided I'd accept that I loved her, and she was about to turn and walk away from me again.

I was about to lose the love of my life.


	3. Chapter 3: Always

**Chapter 3- Always**

"_So how'd you stop her daddy? From leaving? How'd you make mommy stay?" Sammy asked him, excited._

"_That was the easy part, Sammy," Natara laughed. "I was already in love with him. I still don't believe I'd ever have been able to turn around and just leave him there forever, no matter how mad I was."_

_Sammy nodded and Mal continued.._

I'd decided there was no way I was ever letting us be separated again. She was my one true love. It had been accepted. I was in love with her. And I didn't care what people had to say.

So before she could turn around, before she could walk away, before she could slip away from me, I kissed her.

That decided it. I was never letting her leave my side. I was going to marry this girl someday. I was in love with Natara Williams and I didn't care what the world had to say about it. I didn't even care if she loved me back yet; I knew I'd convince her eventually. But that was the one thing I didn't have to worry about.

All that ran through my mind in the 10 seconds we kissed. Over, and over, and over. When we finally broke apart, her eyes were still closed in thought.

"Is that why you ran away?" she asked, without looking at me.

"I was a coward."

"Don't worry, I still love you," and just like that, she opened her eyes and hugged me.

That was when I knew I was the happiest man on the planet.

"That's when we knew we were both in love," Natara whispered to your now-drowsy two year old. "Did you like that story?"

"Mhmm," He thought for a moment and then added, "Will you tell me about your wedding now?"

"No, no sleepy head! You're already falling asleep on us! Looks like that story will be for tomorrow!" answered Natara, taking him upstairs to his bedroom, leaving Mal smiling in thought.

Ten minutes later she came back down and hugged him.

"Just like it was yesterday," he said softly in her ear.

She laughed lightly and smiled, "I still love you like we just fell in love yesterday."

"I fall in love with you every time I see you," he replied.

"Really?" she asked.

"Always." And he pulled her in for another kiss.

**Tell me if you want a sequel, about their wedding. That would be fun to write! :) I'm gonna write it anyway, even if no one wants it posted so I don't care. Ahahaha, well I hope you enjoyed this, I had a lot of fun writing it!**


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